A happy customer might tell someone. An unhappy customer tells everyone. Converting to Linux before taking a dose of reality might make you a very unhappy customer. Let's be perfectly honest. Linux isn't for everyone-yet. However, Ubuntu, Mandriva, and a few other distributions come close but for now, Linux is a little more difficult to use than Windows.

That said, there are still compelling reasons to make the switch to Linux from Windows. Your business and productivity depends on the stability of your computers, the happiness of your employees, and the ability of you and your staff to perform your work in the most efficient and trouble-free ways possible. If you're serious about considering a switch from your current Windows systems, there are a few things you should be aware of before going any further. Linux is an incredibly useful, versatile and interesting operating system, but it does have its drawbacks, so familiarize yourself with them.

1. It Isn't Windows

Although this one should fall under the "duh" category, you shouldn't expect Linux to be Windows. Linux has some striking similarities to Windows: the graphical interface, cascading menus, applications represented by icons, configurable desktop themes, and most of the desktop gadgetry you've come to expect from Windows. It looks and behaves like Windows, but it isn't. Its fans say that it's better because of its stability, its multi-user capability and its overwhelmingly cheaper price (free is hard to beat).

Yet, Linux still falls short of the Windows glory that it attempts to mimic--

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